Synopsis of The Beaux’Stratagem
S
suddenly ill and needs
et in Lichfield, a
the care of Lady
village
in
the
Bountiful, thus getting
English countryside,
him inside the house.
The Beaux’ Stratagem
Aimwell
uses
the
opens in Boniface’
s Inn, a
opportunity to woo
lodging for travelers and
Dorinda; meanwhile,
a front for thieves. Jack
Archer declares his love
Archer and Tom Aimwell
for Mrs. Sullen.
enter,
penniless
gentlemen in search of
Back at the inn, Aimwell
wealthy women to marry.
and Archer overhear
Archer is poses as a
the robbers’plan for
servant to his “
master”
that evening. They
Aimwell, a disguise
hurry out to save Lady
designed to help them
Bountiful’
s household.
woo and win a rich wife.
The scene shifts to a
The winner will then split
bedchamber in Lady
half of his share with the Jane Gurnett as Dorinda, Matyelok Gibbs as Lady Bountiful and Paul Mooney as
s National Theatre Production, 1989. Photo by Clive Barda.
B o u nt i f u l ’
s
house
other. From Boniface they Aimwell in Peter Wood’
where Dorinda and
learn that Lady Bountiful,
Mrs. Sullen discuss their respective passions for Aimwell
a local healer, has a beautiful daughter, Dorinda, with a
and Archer. After Mrs. Sullen retires to bed, Archer sneaks
large dowry. Boniface, suspicious of Archer and Aimwell’
s
through the window. Mrs. Sullen, frightened, nearly
true identity, asks his daughter Cherry to get information
shoots him. The servant Scrub enters, announcing the
from them. Gloss, the chaplain for the militia and
robbery, and Archer declares that he is there to provide
occasional highway robber, also questions Archer.
assistance. Scrub and Archer capture Gloss when he
Suspecting him to be a thief, Gloss offers Archers a job
enters to rob Mrs. Sullen of her jewelry.
robbing Lady Bountiful’
s estate, planning to turn the
tables on Gloss and Boniface by exposing the plan,
In another part of the house, Lady Bountiful and Dorinda
defeating the thieves and winning the love of Dorinda.
are struggling with two thieves. Aimwell engages both of
the thieves in a duel while declaring his love for Dorinda.
In Lady Bountiful’
s house, Mrs. Sullen complains to her
Archer enters and assists his friend. Dorinda and Mrs.
sister-in-law Dorinda of her marriage to Sullen, her
Sullen, both wielding swords, jump into the fray. After the
drunken, rude husband. Dorinda reveals her crush on a
thieves have been overtaken, a servant enters,
handsome stranger, Aimwell, glimpsed in church. Curious
announcing Sir Charles Freeman, Mrs. Sullen’
s brother.
about his identity, Mrs. Sullen and Dorinda decide to
Archer worries that Sir Charles will reveal Aimwell’
s
invite his “
servant”Archer over for ale. Back at the inn,
identity to Dorinda, since he knew the real Lord Robert.
Cherry learns of the plot to rob Lady Bountiful and
Aimwell, however, has decided to be honest and confess
refuses to hide any more stolen goods for the
their plot to Dorinda. Dashed, Archer threatens to leave,
highwaymen. Alone with Archer, Aimwell proclaims his
but Dorinda enters with the news that Lord Robert
love for a woman seen at church—Dorinda. Archer
Aimwell has died and has left his brother his title and
reveals the plan to rob Lady Bountiful’
s house; he will use
fortune. Archer reminds Aimwell of their previous
the upcoming visit to see how the crime can be
agreement to split any money acquired in the course of
prevented. In the meantime, Aimwell decides to pretend
marrying a rich heiress; Aimwell, now the possessor of
to be his older brother, Lord Robert Aimwell, so that
Dorinda’
s fortune as well as his own, agrees. The Sullens
Dorinda will think he has a title and a fortune.
agree to divorce, making her available to marry Archer,
and, at Cherry’
s request, her father, Boniface, is forgiven
At Lady Bountiful’
s house, Archer and Mrs. Sullen
his crimes. A country dance concludes the happy ending.
immediately experience a mutual attraction to each
other. Archer then declares that Aimwell has become
Beau (pronounced BO, plural Beaux –pronounced BOZE): A man who gives excessive attention to dress, appearance and
social etiquette.
Stratagem (pronounced STRAT-uh-gem): A trick or scheme designed to outwit an enemy or obtain an advantage.
Dowry: The money or property that a woman brings to her husband in marriage.
Chaplain: A clergyman who conducts religious exercises, sometimes officially attached to a branch of the military.
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Til Death do us part
Photo by Carol Rosegg.
Marriage and Divorce in 18th-century england
Gregory Wooddell as Mr. Harcourt, Tessa Auberjonois as Margery Pinchwife
and Andrew Long as Mr. Dorilant in the Shakespeare Theatre Company’
s 19992000 production of William Wycherley’
s The Country Wife, directed by Keith
Baxter.
I
n the 21st century, we think of marriage as a union between two people who love each other and commit
to a life together. If the two become incompatible as time goes on, our society generally accepts that they
should part ways to pursue happiness elsewhere—despite the potentially painful impact on children and
families. Marriage, as an institution, was not always thought of in this way, and divorce has only recently become
an accepted social custom. In George Farquhar’
s 18th-century England, marriage had an altogether different
purpose, and divorce was impossible except in the most extreme situations. It is a sign of a changing society,
then, that Farquhar makes part of the happy ending of The Beaux’
Stratagem hinge on a divorce being granted.
The Purpose of Marriage
During the 18th century and before, marriage served many purposes in society—the least of which was true love
and companionship. Marriages, especially in the property-owning classes, were arranged by families as financial
transactions or property exchanges. Society operated by the concept of primogeniture: the eldest son was the
sole inheritor of his father’
s estate. For that reason, marriage was vital for child-bearing purposes—a family
needed to find wives for their sons so that more male heirs could be produced. For women, marriage was
essentially a security. By law, women could not inherit or own property, so they depended on their husbands or
fathers for support. When a family married off one of their daughters, they would attach a large sum of money
or property to be given to her husband. This sum was called a dowry, given to the husband in exchange for
taking on the care and support of his wife. In The Beaux’
Stratagem, Archer and Aimwell arrive in Lichfield to find
and marry wealthy women with large dowries. In addition to property exchanges, marriage was also used as a
way to keep order in society. A man was considered the head of his household—that included his wife, children,
family and any servants or farmers who lived on his estate. In a society almost completely without a police force,
this arrangement helped to keep order, since each “
head of household”was responsible for enforcing the
behavior of those who lived under his “
roof”
.
Tying the Knot
While some may say that organizing a wedding today is extremely complicated, in the 17th and 18th centuries,
marriage involved many more steps than saying “
I do”at the altar. First, the families of the two spouses would
meet to work out the financial arrangements. Then, a couple would exchange spousals, or promises to get
married. (Sometimes these spousals were considered legally binding.) Then they would post banns, or
engagement notices, three times in the church, declaring to the community that the two would soon get
married. Finally, the couple would get married in a church or civil ceremony. Once the couple participated in this
ceremony (and in certain cases, after the spousals), they were considered legally bound together for life, as well
as joined together in the eyes of God. The only way this union could be dissolved was by annullment, if there
turned out to be something that prevented the union before it actually happened—for example, if one of the
parties had already exchanged a spousal with someone else, or if the husband and wife turned out to be related
by blood.
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Seriously—Get Me Outta This
“
Divorces”could sometimes be arranged in cases of adultery or extreme cruelty, but it wasn’
t a divorce as we
think of it today. It was technically a separation from bed and board, which meant that the couple would be
living in different places and a monetary settlement would be agreed upon. However, remarriage for either party
was not allowed by any means, and the couple was still viewed as legally and spiritually bound together for life,
and breaking that bond would mean severe dishonor.
This arrangement was not satisfactory for the property-owning upper classes. If a wife committed adultery before
she provided her husband with a male heir, then the husband was left without a son to inherit his property, and
without the option of remarriage. In the late 17th century, very rich noblemen in this predicament could get a
divorce by a private Act of Parliament, after which remarriage would be legal. This process was very expensive,
and was typically only consented to in cases where there was a large amount of property and fortune at stake.
Women, of course, did not have this option.
For the lower classes, marriage could often be dissolved simply by running away—if a spouse had been
abandoned for seven years, she was considered a widow and free to remarry. In addition, with a lack of
coherent police force, it was easy for a peasant to run off and never be found. Bad marriages, then,
were mainly an unsolvable problem for the middle classes—while they were not rich enough to obtain an Act of
Parliament, they were also too well-known and respected in their communities to be able to simply skip town.
Milton to the Rescue
In 1643, an English writer and Puritan named John Milton published a pamphlet titled The Doctrine and Discipline of Divorce. This pamphlet was revolutionary at the time and was certainly read by George Farquhar. While
many Puritans at the time advocated remarriage for the innocent party in cases of adultery, Milton went much
farther than that. He demanded the right for absolute divorce from any marriage, and expanded the grounds for
divorce to include incompatibility. While this may seem reasonable and common to people in the 21st century,
remember that the purpose of marriage in 17th-century England did not include love and companionship—it
was mostly arranged for financial security and for the purpose of procreation. Milton wrote, “
Where love cannot
be, there can be nothing left of wedlock but the empty husk of outside matrimony.”He was the first to state that
the spritual and emotional connection of husband and wife should be the most important thing in a marriage,
and that “
natural hatred is a greater evil in marriage than the accident of adultery.”(Milton’
s feelings on the
subject can be traced back to an unhappy marriage of his own—as a 33-year-old scholar, he was married to an
uneducated 17-year-old girl, who subsequently ran home to her parents and refused to return.)
Of course, Milton’
s appeal for emotional compatibility in marriage still applied only to men. He advocated for
change in divorce law if a man was unhappy with his wife, stating that a wife’
s role was to act as a helper and
companion for the husband. He wrote specifically that a request for divorce from the wife alone was not
grounds for the dissolve of the marriage union. (The feminist movement, at this point, was still several centuries
off.)
Influence in Farquhar
The influence of Milton in The Beaux’Stratagem is profound. Farquhar had clearly read the pamphlet, and
snatches of dialogue from the play are lifted directly from Milton’
s language. For example, in the Doctrine, Milton
upturns the usual metaphor of man and wife as “
one flesh”to state that a bad marriage is like the union of two
corpses. As Sullen yells against the institution of marriage in The Beaux’Stratagem: “
One flesh! Rather two
carcasses joined unnaturally together.”Perhaps Farquhar read Milton’
s Doctrine so avidly because he was
trapped in a frustrating marriage of his own—while he had hoped to marry a rich widow, the woman he
wedded turned out to be no richer than himself.
Farquhar certainly seems to end the play with a pro-divorce attitude. Mrs. Sullen, stuck with a drunken, boorish husband, has found a mutual attraction with Archer. By the end of the play, both Sullen and Mrs. Sullen
agree that they are incompatible and must divorce. The ending may have been wishful thinking on Farquhar’
s
part, as such a divorce at the time of writing, despite Milton’
s pamphlet, was still illegal. However, Farquhar
acknowledges this in the final couplet of the play: “
Consent, if mutual, saves the lawyer’
s fee. Consent is law
enough to set you free.”
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